Dear Book of Manly Thoughts,

I have the worst hangover right now. My head is throbbing like hell. I probably shouldn't have drunk so much last night. This past week has been great, though!

The morning after I came back to life, Rapunzel and I set off for Corona. She is the lost princess. I had my suspicions, and they turned out to be true. Rapunzel was terrified to meet her real parents, and I must confess that I was, too. I have a criminal past. I stole the crown of their lost daughter. Why should they like me or accept the fact that their daughter and I are in love? I was afraid they might throw me back in the dungeon the minute they saw me. Luckily, things turned out differently.

Rapunzel and I arrived at the palace and told the guard at the gate we needed to see the king and queen. He didn't let us in at first. He told us that the royal family was very busy and tried to turn us away. It took quite a bit of convincing, but the guard finally admitted that Rapunzel does look exactly like the queen. We were taken to this balcony to wait for Rapunzel's parents to arrive. When they did, their faces bore the most stunned expressions I'd ever seen in my life. Rapunzel and the queen had the same brown hair (though the queen's was quite a bit longer; hopefully Rapunzel's will grow out), green eyes, slightly upturned nose, and cowlick. The guard was right; the resemblance was striking.

Rapunzel and her mother stared at each other in silence for several seconds before embracing. The king joined in. They looked perfect together. A family. It almost made me cry manly tears, because I was sure family was something I'd never have again since my parents' deaths.

I was wrong. The queen extended her hand to me. I thought she was going to shake my hand and thank me for returning her lost daughter and reuniting their family, so I placed my hand in hers. I was shocked when she pulled me in to join their hug. Family. For the first time since my parents passed, I had a family.

They really are my family. They're going to be my in-laws, in fact. I am extremely embarrassed to admit it, as it would ruin my reputation as a hardened, manly man, but I proposed to Rapunzel on our way back to Corona. She burst into tears, which worried be for a second before I noticed the smile on her face. She flung her arms around my neck and gasped out "Yes!" I've never been so happy in my entire life. This love thing may be embarrassing, but I must confess that I like it. No, I love it. And I don't care if it seems like we're rushing things at all. In a mere three days, she managed to tear down every last one of my defenses, which is something no one has ever been able to do in my entire life. I love her. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. And when you know, you just know.

I just wish I could change the past. I've done some downright horrible things, and I'm definitely not "pure." Rapunzel is perfect. She's like an angel. I regret my past, but I'm going to spend the rest of my life being good for her.

Anyway, upon the lost princess's return, there was a huge party thrown in Corona. It lasted a week, and, to be honest, I don't remember most of it. I spent the majority of it drunk. I know Rapunzel got a little bit tipsy. One of the few moments I do remember is that we were caught kissing behind a curtain. We didn't get in any serious trouble for it. Rapunzel's parents smirked at us and exchanged knowing glances, and we got a small lecture, but that was it.

Sincerely,

Eugene Fitzherbert, the very hungover royal consort and future husband to Princess Rapunzel of Corona